How Crystal Palace can stop Manchester City at Wembley | OneFootball

Crystal Palace are set to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

It will be their third appearance in an FA Cup final, and they are chasing their first-ever major trophy.

Oliver Glasner’s men must be at their absolute best to finally win silverware that has long eluded them.

Man City go into the final as favourites, boasting superior quality across every department on the pitch.

However, Palace will look to embrace their role as underdogs and make things difficult for City.

How Crystal Palace can outsmart Manchester City

The Eagles must remain solid and organised in defence, leaving no room for errors or lapses in concentration.

Marc Guehi, Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Munoz must be strong in their tackles and quick in their positioning.

They will be tasked with containing Erling Braut Haaland and City’s other attackers.

If Palace can frustrate them and slow down City’s tempo, they will have a fighting chance.

Palace must also take advantage of City’s vulnerability in dealing with early pressing.

This was evident in their last Premier League meeting, where Palace scored twice early before eventually losing 5-2.

Those goals came from aggressive early pressing, which unsettled City’s defence and build-up play.

Glasner’s side can use the same approach again, looking to snatch an early lead by pressing high from the start.

It will be important to sustain that intensity while staying disciplined at the back.

Another key weapon for Palace is their brilliance from set-piece situations, which has brought great success this season.

The Eagles have scored 16 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League – the joint-best in the division.

Of those, 11 came from corners, four from free-kicks and one from a long throw-in, highlighting their variety.

Deliveries from Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze, and Will Hughes have been central to their threat.

Their accuracy and timing in dead-ball scenarios will be crucial in this final against City.

Palace must also rely on their attacking talents, who must be decisive on the big day.

Eberechi Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr must seize their opportunities and consistently test City’s defence.

Big players are often the difference in big games, and Palace need theirs to deliver when it matters most.

The FA Cup final promises to be a thrilling contest, and Palace have every reason to believe they can make history.